A truck driver who received a 110-year sentence after being convicted on charges stemming from a fatal crash west of Denver will serve just 10 years in prison because Democratic Colorado Gov. Jared Polis stepped in.
Polis commuted the lifelong sentence handed to Rogel Aguilera-Mederos after vehicular manslaughter convictions from the 2019 pileup to just 10 years after outcry over the original sentence led to an online petition gathering millions of signatures, the Associated Press reported Friday.
“The length of your 110-year sentence is simply not commensurate with your actions, nor with penalties handed down to others for similar crimes. There is an urgency to remedy this unjust sentence and restore confidence in the uniformity and fairness of our criminal justice system, and consequently I have chosen to commute your sentence now,” Polis said in a letter to Aguilera-Mederos on Thursday. (RELATED: 26-Year-Old Truck Driver Sentenced 110 Years For Crash That Killed Four)
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis has shortened the prison sentence of a truck driver convicted in a deadly explosive crash to 10 years, drastically reducing his original 110-year term that drew widespread outrage. https://t.co/avkGPwJySB
— FOX 4 NEWS (@FOX4) December 31, 2021
“The crimes you were convicted of are serious. Four individuals lost their lives and others were seriously injured because of your bad decisions. The families of these victims will never again have the chance to embrace their lost loved ones,” Polis said.
The commutation of the sentence drew criticism from Alexis King, district attorney for Jefferson and Gilpin counties, the AP reported, but King previously asked the judge in the case to reduce the original term to a 20-30 year sentence.
“We are meeting with the victims and their loved ones this evening to support them in navigating this unprecedented action and to ensure they are treated with fairness, dignity, and respect during this difficult time,” King said, the AP reported.
Truck drivers nationwide threatened to refuse to drive to Colorado in light of the original sentence, CBS 4 reported.
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